What are the best things to do in and around Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?
Santiago Hernandez - Chapala Med
Lots of people, whether they are from the north of the border or from the city, come here to Chapala to walk on the Malecon, which is the boardwalk on the lake. People like to come here to have dinner because the restaurants here at the lakeside area of Chapala and Ajijic are second to none.
Coming from Chicago, and having visited other cities like New York, San Antonio, and Dallas, the food here in Chapala is second to none and it is very reasonably priced. A nice T-bone...
Lots of people, whether they are from the north of the border or from the city, come here to Chapala to walk on the Malecon, which is the boardwalk on the lake. People like to come here to have dinner because the restaurants here at the lakeside area of Chapala and Ajijic are second to none.
Coming from Chicago, and having visited other cities like New York, San Antonio, and Dallas, the food here in Chapala is second to none and it is very reasonably priced. A nice T-bone steak, for example, costs around US $9. People come here to do sightseeing, and walk around the area especially in Ajijic, where you would see picturesque and very nice homes and buildings.
Although Chapala is on a lake, there are not that many water activities here because the water is sort of murky. There aren’t any beaches in Chapala, either. The beaches have eroded. They tried to rehabilitate the beaches but the job wasn’t really done. There are some boat tours here in Chapala going to an island on the Lake Chapala called Isla de los Alacranes (Island of the Scorpions). They have little restaurants on the island, where people can get their own drinks if they want to; it’s a BYOB place, which is fairly good.
There is lots of live music here in Chapala. There are also little lakeside theater productions that go on here. There are a couple of movie theaters where people can go. This past weekend, we saw Star Wars and I saw people who are bragging about paying only $8 for two tickets. That’s one thing that is also really nice here.
Some of the best things to do here in Chapala are related to arts. The Ajijic area is more of the artistic area of the state. There are several art groups being led by retired writers, sculptors, etc. There is a lot of artists here.
If you want to experience some big city-type entertainment, you can easily go to Guadalajara, which is only 40 minutes away by car. Guadalajara has everything that you could expect from a major metropolitan city. To go to Guadalajara from Chapala, you can take one of two routes. One is on the south side and the other is on the north. You could take the route where you would end up at López Mateos in the south, which is a newly developed area. They have Sam’s Club, Costco, Walmart, and a couple of malls that are very chic. This area is nicer because it is closer to some residential areas, for example, Santa Anita and Ciudad Bugambilias. These residential areas look like US suburbs. Going through the airport there is Tlaquepaque. The nicest mall around there is called Plaza Forum, which has Cinépolis, which is a chain of movie theaters that are better than the ones that I have been to in the Chicago area. They have stadium seating, 3D and 4D movies, and they have a VIP area, where they would sit you down on big Lazy Boy chairs and they serve you beverages, food, cocktails, etc. that are served to you by waiters. That is really nice. There are also dance clubs and very nice restaurants.
The Guadalajara metropolitan area is made up of five cities: Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tlaquepaque, Tonala, and Tlajomulco. Tlajomulco is the largest growing metropolitan city in all of Mexico. If you go through Jocotepec and go south from Guadalajara, you will end up in Tlajomulco and see all the developing areas. Tlaquepaque, on the other hand is an older, colonial area where people tend to go shopping for high-end arts and crafts.
Tonala is very well known for its street markets called tianguis. People usually go to the tianguis on Thursdays and Saturdays. There, you will find lots of the manufacturers of local arts and crafts. You could get them a lot cheaper in Tonala than you would in Tlaquepaque. Tonala also exports these crafts to other countries. So a big activity that people usually do in Guadalajara is go shopping for furniture, home decorations, etc.
(International book fair in Guadalajara, Mexico, pictured.)
What are the best things to do in and around the Panama City, Panama area of San Francisco?
Lourdes Townshend
San Francisco is a beautiful, safe, comfortable and central neighborhood in the main city, Panamá. In minutes you can do all your errands, as everything is close by: several bank branches, supermarkets, 5 star hotels, modern malls, pharmacies, movies, the ocean, a convention center, you name it, and most of all, the largest park in the city, that opens up 4:30 AM and doesn't close until 10 PM. Single residences has disappeared over the...
San Francisco is a beautiful, safe, comfortable and central neighborhood in the main city, Panamá. In minutes you can do all your errands, as everything is close by: several bank branches, supermarkets, 5 star hotels, modern malls, pharmacies, movies, the ocean, a convention center, you name it, and most of all, the largest park in the city, that opens up 4:30 AM and doesn't close until 10 PM. Single residences has disappeared over the time, and new apartment buildings have filled this space.
The park is the main attraction for residents, as they can start the day jogging or walking, followed by an exceptional natural fruit shake, a visit to the free gym, library, pool, or simply, relax under the gazebo under beautiful trees.
In addition, you can spend the day shopping, in which case a special bus will take you from one mall to the other. There are also the tourist buseses that, the same as in New York, have several stops and you can enjoy each one the time you want.
Only minutes away, you have the famous "cinta costera", which is a beautiful boulevard by the ocean, and a very new park with lookout to the Pacific Ocean and the causeway at the entrance of the Panama Canal, and the beautiful view to the Casco Viejo.
Also in San Francisco you might like visiting the Old Panama Tower ruins and the visitor center with lots of Panamá crafts. This is called "Torre de Panamá la Vieja", which was burned by the pirates in the 15th century, then rebuilt in Casco Viejo. Cost is only $6.00 to walk through the ruins.
Panamá is a very small city, and other interesting tourist sites are close to the San Francisco area. This could include a day city tour, especially on Sunday, when less traffic allows you to move freely from one place to another. For example worth a visit is of course the Panamá Canal, where it is wise to spend at least 3 hours for watching the ships going inside the canal locks, the theater and 4 story museum. You can have lunch there by the terrace watching the ships, with an English / Spanish guide.
But there are also other places, like: the national theater, the presidential palace, the St. Joseph gold altar, the "Bóvedas" to eat a good "raspado", little restaurants, the cathedral, the gold and emerald museum, and the antique narrow streets; all this in the historical Casco Viejo. In addition you may like to also visit Mi Pueblito, the causeway, breakfast at Riu Hotel or lunch at Mi Ranchito restaurant, Albrook Mall, Natural History Museum, the banking area, or Punta Pacífica. You may also like to take a nice boat ride around the Panamá Bay.
And, if you have extra time, you may like to visit Panamá Pacifica and industrial business area; or a good walk into the "Soberanía Park", which takes approximately 3 hours, and is a beautiful protected natural park, near to Albrook, as well as a good walk up the famous Cerro Ancón Hill, with the most beautiful view to the canal. But extending your trip, you can visit the "interior" in as little as one hour or so, visiting all kind of resorts, golf clubs, beaches, mountains, riding horses, and picturesque towns like El Valle de Antón, (3 hours driving), Pedasí ( 5 hours), or Boquete (7 hours driving, or one hour by plane).
What do I need to know about living overseas and retiring abroad?
Jennifer Moloney Jones
If you are going to live overseas, you need to research the country you are going to move to beforehand, and you have to visit the country several times a year and at different times because the weather can vary extremely.
I have friends who are retirees here in Panama, who, before moving permanently, lived here for about 3 months just to get familiar with the place and experience what it is like to be here. They wanted to get used to what the traffic...
If you are going to live overseas, you need to research the country you are going to move to beforehand, and you have to visit the country several times a year and at different times because the weather can vary extremely.
I have friends who are retirees here in Panama, who, before moving permanently, lived here for about 3 months just to get familiar with the place and experience what it is like to be here. They wanted to get used to what the traffic might be like and how to get around. They also had to get used to the language because not everybody here in Panama speaks English. Knowing some Spanish is very useful.
So my advice is, go and experience what the country is like before moving in, which is a big difference from just going on holiday. I know some people who didn't do that and who came here and left, because later on, they realized that it wasn’t for them.
It is also advisable to source your doctor, just so that you are all set and comfortable when you finally relocate. You also need to know where to get your day-to-day essentials.
Finding friends will just fall into place, because there are so many social events going on, especially for expats.
Also, prepare your documents and your bank accounts, because once you move to another country, you might need a lot of paperwork. Make sure that you have all your documents notarized before you leave your home country. The postal system is not always the same in your new country as it is in the country you left.
The best and most essential thing is to do your research on the country and find out what you need before you relocate.
(Isla de Cana, Cane Island, National Park, Panama, pictured.)
What's the dress code in Placencia, Belize? What clothes do they wear in Placencia, Belize?
Frik De Meyere
The dress code in Belize is flip-flops, shorts, and shirts ranging from tee shirts to nicer shirts. Not too many people, other than those working in a bank, will wear anything else. That’s what I wear when I go out working with clients—a pair of shorts and a nice collared shirt, and I’m probably a little over-dressed in some respects.
I don’t think they ask for anything more even at the Turtle Inn, which is Francis Ford Coppola’s...
The dress code in Belize is flip-flops, shorts, and shirts ranging from tee shirts to nicer shirts. Not too many people, other than those working in a bank, will wear anything else. That’s what I wear when I go out working with clients—a pair of shorts and a nice collared shirt, and I’m probably a little over-dressed in some respects.
I don’t think they ask for anything more even at the Turtle Inn, which is Francis Ford Coppola’s place. If you walked in with flip-flops, no one is going to look at you funny. You’re in Central America, on the beach.
There aren’t any places I’m aware of in Belize where they would demand that you couldn’t wear just what I described.
In Portugal, people tend to eat out more than probably most countries in Europe because that is the lifestyle here. I have lunch near my office here and I get a 3-course meal for about €7 (US $8 or £5.20).
Sometimes it is even cheaper to eat out than to eat at home. An evening meal for a couple in a medium-priced restaurant would cost around €15 (US $16.50 or £11) per head.
The reason it is so cheap to eat...
In Portugal, people tend to eat out more than probably most countries in Europe because that is the lifestyle here. I have lunch near my office here and I get a 3-course meal for about €7 (US $8 or £5.20).
Sometimes it is even cheaper to eat out than to eat at home. An evening meal for a couple in a medium-priced restaurant would cost around €15 (US $16.50 or £11) per head.
The reason it is so cheap to eat at restaurants here in Portugal is because there is so much competition. It seems like there is a restaurant on every single corner here in Portugal.
(Restaurant Chez Lapin, Porto, Portugal, pictured.)
They were big, open questions— the “elephant in the room,” the large, unavoidable thing I was a bit afraid to confront honestly and directly.
The background is that I was born and raised in the US, where I spent almost all of my 59 years before, two years ago, moving to Mexico. The elephant was these series of questions: After these two years, how would I respond upon returning to the US to visit and retrieve our household goods to...
This is not a story about how Mexico celebrates its Día de los Muertos ritual, or how Americans come here to retire... then forget to die. The other day I came across the black-and-white details of how and where US citizens meet their maker in foreign lands. You see, the US State Department is required by law to report non-natural deaths by US citizens in foreign countries.
Anyone who’s explored beyond the comforts of Western Europe knows...
These places would seem to the native inhabitants to be neglected lands of unruly bushes and trees with views that were pretty, but where one did not linger while on one’s way to somewhere else. But to Mike Cobb, these were places to turn into communities with a network of pathways close to the cool porches of neighbors one would regularly visit.
In this interview, Jet Metier learns that though not a builder by training or a developer by plan, Mike Cobb...
Lots of people, whether they are from the north of the border or from the city, come here to Chapala to walk on the Malecon, which is the boardwalk on the lake. People like to come here to have dinner because the restaurants here at the lakeside area of Chapala and Ajijic are second to none.
If you are going to live overseas, you need to research the country you are going to move to beforehand, and you have to visit the country several times a year and at different times because the weather can vary extremely. 
In Portugal, people tend to eat out more than probably most countries in Europe because that is the lifestyle here. I have lunch near my office here and I get a 3-course meal for about €7 (US $8 or £5.20). 
They were big, open questions— the “elephant in the room,” the large, unavoidable thing I was a bit afraid to confront honestly and directly. 
These places would seem to the native inhabitants to be neglected lands of unruly bushes and trees with views that were pretty, but where one did not linger while on one’s way to somewhere else. But to Mike Cobb, these were places to turn into communities with a network of pathways close to the cool porches of neighbors one would regularly visit.